Skip to main content
Around the Foghorn
FanSided

The SF Giants will need to bolster catching depth on the major league roster and in the upper minors

They will be extremely thin
ByJeff Young
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Aug 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Daniel Susac (6) runs down the first base line on a double against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Aug 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Daniel Susac (6) runs down the first base line on a double against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As currently constructed, the SF Giants will rely on inexperience from the catching contingent. That group is led by Daniel Susac and Drew Cavanaugh, but they will need more veteran depth on the 40-man roster and in the upper minors.

Jesús Rodríguez and Zach Morgan are also on the 40-man roster. Morgan is likely to be impacted by the looming roster crunch. In that scenario, he could remain with the organization if he is not claimed by another team.

The front office likes Rodríguez's offensive skill set, but they will need to figure out where to play him on defense. Currently, he serves as a multi-positional catcher, but he performed more as an emergency catcher than as a reliable backup.

Rodríguez also has experience at a few other positions. The Giants tried to use him more at second base and in the corner outfield spots in 2026, but he has a lot of experience at first base and third base. The Giants have coverage at those positions, so there is not a lot of playing time available for Rodríguez.

SF Giants could use catching depth up and down the organization, but especially in the upper minors

The depth chart becomes extremely thin after that. Adrián Sugastey and Onil Perez are scheduled to hit free agency this offseason. They have accrued six years of minor league service time, making them eligible to hit the open market.

Sugastey and Perez had been some of the club's best defensive options in the upper minors. The Giants also have Thomas Gavello, Jack Payton, and Jancel Villarroel, all of whom profile as multi-positional catchers in the same way that Rodríguez does.

They are extremely light on depth in the lower minors as well. The Giants did not draft a catcher in this year's draft, and they have not invested a top pick on a backstop in recent years. In fact, Zach Morgan was one of the most recent top picks the Giants have used on a catcher, and that came in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Luke Shliger was a sixth-round pick in 2023, but he was released at the start of the year and joined the Detroit Tigers organization.

The Giants need catching depth up and down the organization, but the upper minors is extremely important because teams also lean on those catchers to get through the year.

There is some uncertainty at the catcher position heading into 2027. Presumably, Daniel Susac is the No. 1 option, but he is still unproven. The Giants will likely bring in at least one veteran catcher to compete for a roster spot, but they need more reliable defenders in the upper minors.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Home/SF Giants News